Fashion pulse USA - April 2026

Consumer prices

US headline CPI accelerated to +3.8 percent year-on-year in April 2026 per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, up from +3.3 percent in March — above the consensus forecast of +3.7 percent and the highest reading in several months. Trading Economics directly cites the Iran-related oil shock as the dominant driver, with energy costs jumping 17.9 percent annually. Core CPI (excluding food and energy) ran at +2.8 percent in April. The Fed targets PCE inflation rather than CPI; April PCE data was not yet released in Trading Economics' summary at this article's build date.